Pacers crush Hornets for much needed win
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — After Sunday’s debacle in Toronto, the Pacers desperately needed a win over the Hornets at home- and they delivered a big one. Nothing went right on Sunday. Everything went right on Tuesday. Dominating from start to finish, the Pacers defeated Charlotte 119-80. That’s an 85-point turnaround from Sunday for those scoring at home.
It was midway through the 3rd quarter, and the Pacers were still shooting 70% from the field. They finished the night at 57% and dished out 35 assists.
“I loved our response tonight,” said Head Coach Nate McMillan. “I thought we were connected out there at both ends, and it looked like we were having some fun.”
Getting the win was nice, but getting a good performance from Malcolm Brogdon was equally important. Brogdon put together a solid night with 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.
“I was glad to see him knock down some shots,” McMillan said. “He sets the tone for us. And tonight, our starting unit really set the tone and then the second unit kept it going.”
Speaking of setting the tone: Myles Turner set a career-high with 8 blocks. “I was able to establish our defense for our team,” Turner said. “I think everybody followed suit.”
Domantas Sabonis had another monster night with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. And fan-favorite JaKarr Sampson got into the action as well with some monster dunks and 10 points.
T.J. Warren had another one of his big shooting nights, going 9-for-12 from the field for 19 points. “We just wanted to come out with a sense of urgency,” said Warren. “Our last game didn’t go well at all so we wanted to come out and make a difference from start to finish and we did that.”
Playing without Victor Oladipo and of course Jeremy Lamb, the Pacers got contributions all over the place. That’s what made them special in the first half of the season, and that’s what they’ll need to do down the stretch.
